


You've Changed

by swarthwhore



Series: Changes [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Modern Era, Trans Female Character, Trans Link (Legend of Zelda), her name is linkle, lil bit of angst, resolved quickly tho dw, unintentional misgendering/deadnaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23223169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swarthwhore/pseuds/swarthwhore
Summary: Linkle is a senior in college, and her childhood best friend Zelda suddenly shows up after moving away five years ago. In that time, there's been a lot of things they've missed about each other. (Zelda's gay but doesn't know Linkle is trans and tries to deal w her feelings for someone that for all she knows is a boy named Link)
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Linkle (Legend of Zelda)/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Changes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161311
Comments: 8
Kudos: 142





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not much of a writer but I had an idea and was bored over spring break so uhhhhhhh here we are, it's probably bad but it makes me happy and that's all that matters (chapters start out short bc I was trying to limit chapters to one page but eventually gave up on that)

> _Z: “Hey, what’s your new address?? I’ve got something to send you I think you’ll like :)”_

The text had come out of the blue. Linkle hadn’t really talked to Zelda since almost their second year of college, and hadn’t physically seen her since mid high school. Well, not that she could verify. She could’ve sworn there was a glimpse of that bright yellow hair in the crowd at her high school graduation, but Zelda had posted a picture in Lurelin later that day, so the idea was unlikely. Either way, there was a lot Zelda had missed since she moved out to Kakariko and gone to a fancy college near Castle Town. She didn’t know that her childhood best friend was a girl and had started going by Linkle. 

Linkle had just returned to her apartment after a day at the archery range and was just setting her stuff down when the doorbell rang. 

“Oh that must be whatever Zelda sent me. Seems kinda late for the mail to be getting here, though…” she mumbled, glancing out her bedroom window to see if she could spot the truck. Still feeling self-conscious about her body and not wanting any neighbors to see, she grabbed her trademark olive green hoodie off a chair and walked to the front door. Opening it, her eyes dropped to the ground to scan the porch for a cardboard box or anything of the sort. Instead, they were met with…a pair of ankles?

Bringing her eyes up, it took Linkle a second to take in the familiar features that she hadn’t seen in 5 years. The green eyes glittering like emeralds on display, the golden hair shining in the sunlight, and the heartwarming smile that made Linkle first realize she was in love all those years ago. All Linkle could do was stare dumbfounded as her gay heart started beating a thousand times a minute as her first and biggest crush ever just stood at her door.

“Oh, Link” Zelda whispered softly, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Linkle opened her mouth to correct her when Zelda crossed the threshold and cupped Linkle’s cheeks in her hands. “I missed you” Zelda whispered, before pressing her lips to Linkle’s and kissing her deeply. 

Linkle’s mind started racing a mile a minute: did Zelda know? Did someone tell her? Why was she here? Did she have feelings for Link, and would those feelings still apply to her now that she’s Linkle? But all her thoughts went out the window at the next three words out of Zelda’s mouth.

“I’m a lesbian.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh btw POV switches every chapter bc I wanted to minimize the Gay Pronoun Dilemma and also had ideas for thoughts both of them have

Fuck. She hadn’t meant to say it, at least not this early into their meeting.

To be fair, she also hadn’t meant to kiss him either. But he’d opened the door and just looked so cute, standing there with his wide blue eyes, his dirty blond hair, and soft-looking skin that would make any girl jealous. He’d always been sort of androgynous, especially due to his long hair and eyelashes (when they were 10 one of Zelda’s friends asked if he was wearing mascara), but something about him seemed distinctly more feminine now, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. 

Back to the moment at hand. Zelda’s hands were still cupped around his cheeks, which were now a deep red. He was staring at her, his confused eyes searching her face in a mix of recognition and unfamiliarity. She was starting to get embarrassed, so she withdrew her arms and glanced at her wrist only to discover she wasn’t wearing a watch like she normally was. Shit. 

“I- I should go, I’ve got… stuff...” Her lie didn’t even sound believable to herself, there was no way Link was just going to let her walk away from that kiss with no explanation. Not again. Without waiting for a response, she turned around and walked out the door, half expecting Link to grab her arm or shoulder or _something_ , to demand an explanation for showing up unannounced. But it didn’t happen. She got to her car without being stopped. Getting in, she moved her Sheikah Slate off the dashboard and threw it in the passenger seat. She’d spent so much time waiting outside his apartment today, watching to see when he got home, planning what she was going to say, only to barely say anything and rush out after kissing someone she told herself she wasn’t attracted to. Buckling in and shifting gear, she began the drive back to campus. 

Pulling into her new apartment’s lot, she parked in front of her building and buried her face in her hands, letting out a long sigh to accompany it. As she got out of the car and walked to her apartment, she realized what she had to do. Grabbing her phone from her purse, she scrolled to the contact that hadn’t been used on this phone until just a week ago (but still marked as a favorite) and opened a new message.

> _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11:24 pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_
> 
> _Z: “Hey, sorry I kinda dropped a bomb on you today, can we get together and maybe talk about stuff over coffee or something?”_

She figured it would be a little while before she got a response, but to her surprise, her phone buzzed just a few seconds later.

> _L💚: “yea ig we’ve got a lot to talk abt haha. how abt zorabux near my place tomorrow @ 3?”_
> 
> _Z: “Sounds good, I’ll see you then!”_

Smiling, Zelda dropped her slate in the dock connected to the TV and booted up Untitled Cucco Game. Things were going to be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every character mentioned is human but I'm adapting parts of their non-human forms for stuff

To say Linkle was distracted on the walk to Zorabucks would have been an understatement. She had been anxious all day. The surprise visit from Zelda would have been a lot to take in, even if it had been the only thing that had happened, but then she’d kissed her? And then said she was a lesbian. Did she know Linkle was transitioning? Was that her way of trying to say she had a crush on her? There were so many questions, Linkle could only hope she’d get answers for all of them when they met for coffee. Her mind kept replaying the kiss from the day before, as well as the one from the last time they’d been together. That one had been Linkle’s first kiss, and she was almost certain it was Zelda’s too. But that was five years ago, they were both very different people now.

Back to the task at hand: Linkle was more than fifteen minutes early for their dat- meetup. She had to be, though. Zelda was always early for things, sometimes by twenty minutes or more, but Linkle wanted to beat her there today. She was pretty sure Sidon was working today, and while the big guy had a heart of gold, he could also be a little...thick. Despite how masculine she looked today, he probably wouldn’t take the hint and would still call her Linkle. Sure enough, as she approached the glass doors, she could see Sidon behind the register, writing a customer’s name on their cup. A soft jingle sounded when she opened the door, causing the barista to look up and wave at her.

“Hey, L! Be with ya in a sec!” Linkle nodded and joined the short line, grateful he hadn’t used her full name in case Zelda was already here. Scanning the room, Linkle couldn’t see the familiar blonde hair at any of the tables, or even anyone remotely resembling the girl she was supposed to be meeting. Now she just had to figure out what to tell Sidon about what was going on and that deadnaming and misgendering her might be necessary and she wouldn’t be too upset about it. She was one person away from the front of the line when a tap on her shoulder startled her out of her daze. She turned and was greeted by a slight smirk on Zelda’s face, inches from her own.

“Still as jumpy as ever, eh, Link? Maybe you haven’t changed as much as I thought,” Zelda laughed and looked up at the chalkboard menus behind the counter. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to one of these, I don’t remember what I used to get. I’ll just take the chance to try other stuff that sounds good.”

“H-how long have you been standing there?” Linkle stammered out, afraid that Zelda had noticed something ‘off’ about her appearance. _‘Shit, how am I gonna tell Sidon now if she’s here? Maybe I can convince her I’ll get the drinks if she goes and gets a table?’_ “This place looks pretty busy right now, maybe you should go get us a table? I can get the drinks, Sidon’s a friend of mine.” She jerked a thumb back towards the register, hoping beyond all belief she’d take the bait.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, I’ve already got a table. I needed to get some work done so I’ve been here for a couple hours already, my roommate has her girlfriend over so it’s not the quietest there. As for standing right behind you, not long. I came out of the bathroom, saw you in line, and couldn’t resist sneaking up on you.” _‘Dammit, there goes that idea’_ “Looks like you’re up next, do you know what you’re ordering?” Zelda turned her eyes back down to Linkle and gestured to the spot in front of the register. Shaking her head, Linkle stepped to the side and let Zelda squeeze past. Five years ago, she would’ve seriously injured someone to be this physically close to Zelda, but now the idea brought more fear to mind than arousal. It definitely didn’t seem like she knew Linkle was transitioning, and Linkle wanted to be the one to tell her as part of a meaningful conversation, not some heat of the moment joke. She was barely paying attention to Zelda placing her, but managed to tune in at just the right part.

“And I’m paying for his order as well.” Linkle barely had a moment to process what Zelda had just said before Sidon opened his mouth to correct her, glancing between the two girls. Linkle panicked and started waving a hand across her neck, hoping Sidon would take this clue and stop before he could start. The redhead closed his mouth and pushed some buttons on the register, light glinting off his hammerhead shark earrings. Linkle hoped Sidon would understand she wasn’t objecting to Zelda’s behavior, but at least now she knew for a fact Zelda didn’t know.

“Uhhh, I’ll have a small decaf mocha latte, please.” Linkle had never liked being put on the spot for things, but this was somehow worse than every other time combined. She was momentarily grateful she had decided not to wear makeup today, as her cheeks were surely a bright red already.

“Ooooohhhh Kay, then. Can I have a name for the order?” He turned back to Zelda, but not before shooting Linkle a concerned look. She quickly moved to Zelda’s side, since apparently they were one order now, and waited while the other girl gave her name and paid. While they walked to the pickup area, Zelda leaned up against Linkle, unknowingly making the other girl blush redder than Sidon’s hair and turn away.

“Are you ok? You seemed kinda anxious when you were ordering, are you sure you wanna be here? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or anything,” Zelda assured, a concerned look in her eyes. They arrived at the end of the bar and she spun around to face Linkle, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I can imagine me showing up after years of not seeing each other and telling you I’m gay can be at least a little stressful, but it seems like there’s something else bothering you. We can reschedule if you want to, I don’t mind.” Linkle shook her head in response.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” _‘Not like I want to tell you I’m trans and still have feelings for you or anything.’_ Zelda grabbed both drinks before Linkle could react and wound her way through the tables to where Linkle could now see there was a laptop set up next to a small purse and three (presumably empty) coffee cups. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about being here for a while. How much coffee have you had to drink today?” Zelda dismissed the question with a wave of her hand.

“Not enough, apparently. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, and I’m still so tired.” She sat down in the far corner chair and closed the laptop, Linkle taking the seat opposite her. “You’re at Hateno College, right?” Linkle nodded and took a sip from her coffee, instantly recoiling due to the scalding temperature. Zelda chuckled, hiding her mouth behind her hand as the injured girl openly panted in an attempt to chill her tongue. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah, thenior year,” Linkle managed to get out. She’d wanted to make a good impression during this meeting, but so far it seemed that the opposite was happening. _‘Wait, this isn’t a date, is it? She probably just paid because she wanted to apologize for yesterday. Not that she needed to, though. BUT WHEN AM I GONNA TELL HER?’_ Linkle thought to herself. Sooner would be better, but out in a public place as crowded as this one was less desirable than one-on-one. Maybe an opportunity would present itself during the conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

So Link was still at Hateno College. She wasn’t surprised, he’d never been a big fan of traveling, so close to home would make sense for him. At least he seemed happier and more animated than when she’d last spoken to him, but she couldn’t help wondering if it was because of their lack of contact. While Link desperately tried his best to cool his tongue, Zelda thought about what had happened that she hadn’t already told him about, but would also be a good starting point that could naturally lead to other topics. Sensing her hesitation, Link seemed to decide that for once he’d steer the conversation, having recovered from his ordeal.

“So what brings you back to Hateno? It’s been, what, five years since you’ve been here?” Link asked. Zelda flinched at the length of time. Guess she might as well be honest, keeping secrets never wound up well for her

“Actually, it hasn’t been _that_ long, more like three and a half. My parents took me on a road trip from Tarry Town up in Akkala down to Lurelin, and I may have demanded we stop in Hateno for a little bit.” She didn’t need to raise her eyes from her drink to know Link’s were wide and his mouth agape. “To see something. Someone. I didn’t get to stay as long as I wanted to, but I was here. You looked great in the cap and gown. Green really is your color.” She finally looked up, tears stinging the back of her eyes, to find Link’s eyes beginning to tear up as well.

“I knew it. I thought I saw you in the crowd, but you were in Lurelin so soon after I thought it wasn’t possible.” Link leaned back in his chair, disbelief written across his face. “But why? Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be in town? I know we weren’t talking as much then as we were before, but we still texted almost everyday.” If Zelda didn’t know better, it almost seemed like the boy was hurt that he _had_ seen her that day, but as far as she was aware, Link was hardly the type to feel heavy emotions, much less share them.

“It was a last minute decision. I didn’t realize we’d be passing through until that morning, and we left _immediately_ after the ceremony, there was no chance I’d get to talk to you. And the venue was big enough, I was sure you wouldn’t see me and I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I’m really sorry, Link, if I’d have thought you would get something out of me being there, I would’ve told you.” Much like yesterday, this reunion was going very differently than planned. She thought they’d be talking about majors, and jobs, and funny stories about friends, not dancing around the fact that she had had a crush on Link and gone to great lengths just to see his high school graduation. Wiping tears from her face and making sure the little makeup she was wearing wasn’t smeared everywhere, she decided maybe if she had plans for the conversation, she should be the one to enact them.

“So what are you majoring in? Last I remember, you were undecided, but I’m sure that’s changed if you’re a senior now,” Zelda asked, desperate to get the conversation away from heavy topics and back to more lighthearted waters. Hopefully Link would be okay with that, since she’d already put him through enough in the past 24 hours already.

“Oh, right. I’m studying physics, with special interests in applications and magnetism. Basically making shit move around by either hitting it or using giant magnets,” Link explained. Apparently he remembered she was never very good at physics stuff, greatly preferring biology. As customary with all college students, Link immediately turned the question back on her.

“What about you? What are you studying that has you so far from Castle Town not even a week into the semester?” The boy asked, cocking his head to one side, radiating curiosity and confusion. _‘Well at least he seems to care, which is more than I can say for_ some _of the people I’ve kissed,_ ’ Zelda thought to herself, grimacing as she went through the mental list. Taking a deep breath, she tried to put on her most humble face to explain the situation.

“I, uh, actually, I graduated this past spring. Came in with enough credits from high school that I could finish my bio major and history minor a year early. And now I’m in grad school here at Hateno for the next couple years to get my Master’s degree.” She always hated talking about this, it made her feel like she was showing off, implying she was better than everyone else. Link didn’t seem to mind, though, given the look of awe that overcame his face.

“Wait, you’re saying you already finished undergrad? And you’re moving back here for a while?” He asked, incredulously. She couldn’t quite tell whether his disbelief was happy, sad, or somewhere in between.

“Yeah, got an apartment near campus that I’m splitting with a roommate, moved in a couple of days ago, and I’ve been getting myself used to the layout of campus and re-familiarize myself with the town. I had to use Hyrule Maps just to find this place!” Zelda laughed at her own lack of direction, trying to lighten the mood and relieve some of her embarrassment. She slurped some of her iced coffee before continuing. “My classes don’t even start until next week, but I’m an IA for an intro bio course so I’ve still been kinda busy grading papers and planning lessons. It’s not too difficult work, but it pays enough. What about you? Didn’t look like you were living with anyone else yesterday.” Link blinked, slightly taken aback by Zelda’s forwardness.

“Nah, I don’t know if you remember, but I’m kind of a private person. That’s part of why I’m living so far from campus, rent for one person is a lot cheaper towards the outside of the city. Also I like being closer to forests and the like.” Link tried to take another sip of his coffee, which he apparently once again deemed ‘too hot’. “I got a job with Purah over at the tech lab on the hilltop, it pays pretty nice, but some of the work is...intense, let’s put it that way.” Zelda felt almost offended, of course she remembered! Link had been her first real major crush, she cherished every memory she had of him. Anyway, his reasoning made sense. That didn’t explain the women’s boots she’d noticed in his entryway yesterday, though. So she tried the next logical approach.

“What about girlfriends, then? I happen to remember you being _very_ popular with the ladies in high school, even if you turned every single one of them down. For the longest time I thought you might be gay, especially when you told Urbosa of all people no after she asked you out,” Zelda smirked, enjoying watching Link blush and stammer out excuses. “Oh yeah, I know about that. She and I stayed in contact after I left, too, you know.” Urbosa was a year ahead of the two of them, and what she may have lacked in decorum, she certainly made up for in physicality. She was tall, strong, and incredibly pretty. Looking back, it should have been a sign that Zelda was gay, other girls didn’t see Urbosa the way she did. As her mind began to wander, Link finally stuttering out a coherent sentence brought it back to focus.

“N-no, I, uh, I never had any girlfriends. Never really put myself out there, I was just content staying in my own lane, doing my own thing. There was one girl a couple years ago, her name was Midna, that was really pretty and I hung out with a lot, but I think she just saw me as more of a little brother, so nothing came of it, haha,” Link laughed weakly, a wistful look on his face. Zelda smiled. It felt good to see him happy, no matter her unclear feelings about him. Finally he was able to have some of his coffee before turning the question back on an unexpecting Zelda. 

“But yeah, nothing really serious or anything I’d call a relationship. What about you, since apparently you’re gay; any girlfriend off in Castle Town you miss?” Zelda almost choked on her drink, taken by surprise. She knew why _she_ was asking about Link’s exes, or lack thereof, but why was _he_ asking about _hers_? She struggled to think of how best to describe her love life in a way that wouldn’t scare him off or taint his view of her. In her experience, someone accepting her for being gay didn’t necessarily they were okay with hearing anything about the girls she’d dated.

“Not… _currently_ ,” she paused, trying to think of the best way to explain things. “I… may have dated a _few_ girls in the past couple years. There’s that stereotype that lesbians move too fast with things, but I guess I fit that, haha.” She chuckled sheepishly, trying to hide her blush by gulping down more of her drink. “I’m guessing you don’t wanna hear all the details, though.” Link shook his head and looked down at the drink in his hands. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, each of them deep in thought, before Zelda realized as much as she knew about some of her friends during the time she was gone, she hardly knew anything about others.

“Hey, how’s Revali doing? He always wanted to be a pilot, didn’t he?” she asked, desperate to steer the rapidly diminishing conversation back to less awkward waters. It seemed to work, though, as Link’s face immediately brightened at the mention of his friend’s name.

“He’s doing good. Great, actually! Got his pilot’s license before we finished high school, now he goes to some fancy pilot school up in Hebra. He texted me the other day saying in a couple months he’ll be flying back into town, this time flying the plane.” Zelda burst out laughing. It certainly sounded like Revali, the cocky boy with blue hair that was always perfectly styled. She wasn’t surprised that flying had taken over his life, the boy had pet birds his entire life and was an ace drone pilot when he was still in middle school. Link smiled at her laughter and continued telling what he knew about their airborne friend. “He still thinks he’s the best at everything, too, even when he 100% isn’t. He challenged his cousin Teba to a race once and lost by an even bigger margin than he said he would win by. It was pretty funny to watch him get absolutely demolished, even if he was my friend. What about you? Any funny stories about your Kakariko or Castle Town friends you think I might like?” He sat back and sipped his coffee, expectantly cocking an eyebrow.

“Oh my goddesses, of course Revali would do something like that. That birdbrain is going to get himself killed someday, I swear. As for stories, I certainly have quite a few, but I don’t know how many would interest you, a lot of them you gotta know certain local things…” she trailed off, looking off to the side, wracking her brain for something to give him. “Oh! There is one person I met at Castle Town University, I think you’d really like them, the two of you are actually really similar, now that I think about it.” She paused, giving Link a chance to object to hearing about the mysterious figure, which he didn’t. _‘Of course he didn’t, Link hardly objects to anything, ever,_ ’ she thought to herself before continuing. “Their name is Sheik, they lived in my dorm building freshman year. They’re really sweet, but kinda like you, they prefer to be on their own, they don’t share their feelings that much. At least, not when they’re sober.”

She giggled at the memory, before realizing she didn’t know if Link was familiar with people using they/them pronouns. She hadn’t been before Sheik had come out to her, and she considered herself well-read and knowledgeable. “I should probably mention, Sheik is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Are you familiar with what those mean?” she asked, expecting a denial and confusion. Hateno wasn’t the biggest town and some of the residents weren’t the most accepting, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Link not to know. Much to her surprise, though, Link nodded and set down his cup.

“Yeah, I’m familiar. Hardly any of my friends are cis AND straight, so I’m not really shocked your friends might be the same way,” he explained. Zelda could pick up a slight hint of _something_ in his voice, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Was there something he hadn’t told her about yet? Her thoughts were interrupted by a snap in front of her face, Link apparently impatient for more of an explanation. “Hyrule to Zelda, you there?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, got distracted,” she tried to play off her embarrassment and smoothed out her top. “What was I talking about? Oh, right, Sheik! Yeah, they usually tend to act a lot like you, but somehow even more private. I don’t even know where they’re from, I don’t think. But yeah, get them even a tiny bit drunk and they’ll start talking DEEP. I’m talking like you give them one beer and they’ll get ‘meaning of life’ deep. Two and they start talking about humanity and morals and the like. It’s wild.” She sighed and stared at the table in front of her. “Super smart, though. They’re majoring in computer engineering, I think? Last I knew, they wanted to build some weird motion-controlled devices or something.” Link certainly seemed interested in Sheik, he was definitely paying more attention to Zelda after she’d started talking about them. Maybe she could arrange a meeting while she was here...


	5. Chapter 5

Hours later, Linkle and Zelda were still thoroughly engaged in conversation, recounting funny stories or juicy gossip about their friends, most of whom had all moved off to other places for college. Some were still in town, though, like Mipha’s little brother Sidon, or Urbosa’s niece Riju. It felt good to connect with her long-time friend again, but Linkle still hadn’t come out to her, and the opportunity was fading. The sun was beginning to set, and orange light was starting to fill the coffee shop. No one in the coffee shop had been there when either girl arrived, even Sidon’s shift had finished, a short and thick woman taking his place. Linkle was busy telling a story about the local childhood bully when her phone buzzed, making her realize that even though her jeans looked fairly unisex, they were still women’s jeans, which meant no front pockets. As she fished out her phone with one hand, she used the other to take the coffee cup and gesture to emphasize her points.

“So, anyway, the cat is just sitting there, staring at Ganon with his car keys in its mouth, and he gets super angry for like no reason. He just sets his bag down on the ground and yells ‘Pathetic little fool! Do you realize who you’re dealing with? I’m Ganon Dorf!’ in the middle of the school parking lot! I guess the loud noise must have scared the cat, because it just took off towards the woods,” Linkle couldn’t help but smile telling the story. He’d never directly picked on her in school, but he’d picked on plenty of other kids and she had made it clear she wouldn’t let it slide. Hearing about his mild suffering was always a good catharsis. Zelda seemed to be enjoying it even more than she was, though, since she could barely speak between laughs. “Apparently his car was still in the same spot when Yunobo got out of football practice like 4 hours later, but it was gone by the next morning, so I don’t know the full story.”

Checking her phone, she saw she had a message from her old horse-riding partner Malon, but her girlfriend Ilia was in town and Linkle didn’t feel like virtually third-wheeling for those two. The other thing she noticed was that it was now almost 7, she and Zelda had been talking for like four hours! As if to corroborate the passage of time, her stomach let out a loud growl, not unlike a hungry cat reminding her it hadn’t been fed since breakfast. Zelda’s eyes widened at the noise, quickly changing to a smirk when she realized what it was.

“Wow, sounds like _someone_ ’s hungry. Did you forget to eat lunch again?” she teased, her grin growing even wider at Linkle’s sheepish admission of “...kinda...” _‘I didn’t forget so much as I was just nervous about coming here and didn’t feel like eating. How was I supposed to know we’d be here for 4 hours?!’_ Linkle thought to herself, silently cursing her lack of foresight to force herself to eat at least something small. Her attention returned to Zelda, who was busy fishing something out of her purse.

“I’m getting a bit hungry myself, maybe we should go our separate ways and get some food,” the blonde seemed almost saddened by the idea, even though she’d been the one to suggest it. She continued halfheartedly offering pieces of a plan, saying she had her car here and could drop Linkle off back at her apartment or wherever she wanted, but they should probably figure out something soon. At the mention of a car, Linkle had a stroke of brilliance. She had a chance to kill two birds with one stone; keep hanging out with Zelda, while also moving to a more private location so she could come out!

“Oh, why don’t you come home with me? I’ve got plenty of stuff back at my place, and I love to cook, I can just whip up something you like, no trouble!” Linkle exclaimed, maybe a touch too forcefully. It was the perfect opportunity, though, she had to do her best to take it. Thankfully, Zelda didn’t seem to mind the enthusiasm, as she quickly began packing up her laptop and gathering her multitude of empty cups. She seemed more flustered than Linkle would have anticipated, but at least she was willing.

“Oh, uh, sure! I- I didn’t really have any plans for this evening, and I’m certainly not going to say no to spending more time with you,” Zelda stammered, slightly blushing. “Are you sure I won’t be a burden, though?” Linkle scoffed, as if the mere idea were preposterous.

“Of course you won’t be a burden! I’m literally inviting you over and offering to cook a meal for you, why would I do that if I didn’t want to?” Linkle asked in disbelief. She’d heard of the “useless lesbian” stereotype, but this was absurd. She didn’t think she could be much more obvious about wanting to spend more time with her, but apparently she was only barely getting through to Zelda. “It’s getting kinda late, so we should probably get going. Which car is yours?”

* * *

“You’re not vegetarian or vegan or anything, are you? Any dietary restrictions crop up in the past five years?” Linkle stuck her head through the doorway, still trying to decide what to make for dinner. Zelda looked up from the couch and shook her head, causing Linkle to duck back into the kitchen. A second later, she called Linkle back into the living room.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to drink, would you?” she asked, glancing around the room. Linkle followed her stares and began to realize just how much incriminating evidence she’d left around the place. There was a stylish pair of heeled boots by the front door, a picture of Linkle in a dress with Midna in a tux from a wedding they’d been to, a jar of green nail polish by the TV, and a pile of mail on the counter addressed to “Linkle”. Hopefully, everything was small enough that nothing would be noticed, and what was noticed could be passed off with a reasonable explanation. After scanning the room, she looked back to Zelda, who seemed to be watching her look around.

“Oh, yeah, sorry! What kind of drink do you want? I think I’ve got some water, juice, wine, there’s probably a couple of beers in the fridge, I could make you some tea?” Zelda’s ears perked up at the mention of wine, and Linkle realized she actually wasn’t sure what to do if Zelda wanted something alcoholic, she had driven here after all. As much as she didn’t want to make her guest sleep on the couch, her bedroom had way more evidence of femininity than the living room ever would.

“What kind of wine? There are some wines where I’ll drink a whole bottle if I’m not careful, and others where a single sip can make me puke,” Zelda explained, sounding somehow both like a college student and an actual wine connoisseur at the same time. Linkle just shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the bottle from the cabinet she kept it in.

“Y’know, I’m not actually sure. Purah gave it to me for my 21st a few months ago but I’m not much of a drinker so I haven’t even opened it. You’re certainly welcome to it, though,” she said as she handed the bottle to Zelda, who took it with curious hands. She turned it to get a better look at the label, and let out a gasp when she realized what she was holding.

“Link! This is my favorite wine, and the best year too! Pleeeease can I have some?” Zelda asked, puppy-dog eyes staring up at Linkle.

“Sure, I don’t really care, I probably wasn’t going to drink it anyway. Let me grab you a glass.” At that, Zelda got up and followed Linkle into the kitchen, opening drawers for a corkscrew. 

“Now, as for the meal, I’m thinking meaty rice balls with a side mix of fruit and mushrooms, sound good?” Zelda nodded eagerly, apparently anxious to get into her bottle.

“Yep, sounds good! Do you want me to help you with anything? I’m great at ‘stirring the pot’, or so I’ve been told,” she mentioned, looking at Linkle and grinning ear-to-ear, who just rolled her eyes and continued getting ingredients out of the fridge.

“No, I’ve got it. Although, if you’re going to keep making jokes like that, I’m starting to have second thoughts about having you here for dinner,” the hostess countered, laughing at Zelda’s mock offense. There was a loud _POP_ as Zelda managed to get the cork out of the bottle, the noise startling Linkle and almost causing her to drop the pan she was holding. She started the rice cooking and turned to find Zelda pouring herself a rather generous glass of wine. Satisfied with the amount, she set the bottle aside and hopped up on the counter. Linkle had to admit, it was cute to see her acting so peppy and excited after 5 years of not seeing her in person. “You seem awfully excited about just a bottle of wine, anything else on your mind?”

“It’s something more than that, yeah, but I’m not quite sure what,” Zelda shrugged and took another sip of her drink. “I don’t know, I just have a good feeling about something, I guess. Maybe it’s getting to see and talk to you again. But also this is really good, you want a sip?”

“Oh, I’m not sure that’s a great idea. Some medications I’m on make my already low tolerance drop even more, and I don’t think a drunk person cooking is the best idea.” Too late, Linkle realized her mistake. Zelda literally studied biology for a living, given enough information she might be able to piece together what meds Linkle was taking and figure out why she was taking them. Sure enough, the girl sitting on the counter had set down her glass and was staring at Linkle with a concerned look in her eyes.

“Medications? Link, are you doing okay? Sorry if this is too personal, but what medications are you on?” Linkle was sure Zelda had her best interests at heart, but she knew she couldn’t reveal her secrets quite yet. 

“It’s fine, I’m fine now, don’t worry about me. Just go, like, sit in the living room and drink your wine or something, I’ll call you when the food’s ready.” It sounded harsher than she meant it to, but Linkle knew that the questions would keep coming, and she could only stand so much before she accidentally said something she didn’t want to. Zelda begrudgingly left the kitchen and Linkle heard her sit down on the couch and open her laptop, knowing she’d just resigned herself to the lesser of two evils. She trusted Zelda to be distracted enough that she wouldn’t notice the various hints scattered around the room, more so than she trusted herself to keep her cool in close quarters with the other girl.


	6. Chapter 6

Clear of distractions, it wasn’t long before Link was carrying a platter of rice balls wrapped in different meats the short distance from the kitchen to the “dining room” table, which was more like an alcove off of the living room. Zelda noticed what was going on and slammed her laptop shut before rushing to the kitchen and grabbing the plate piled high with various fruits and mushrooms. While still in the safety of the kitchen, she stole a blueberry from the plate and popped it in her mouth, Link being none the wiser. As she carried it out to the table, Link squeezed past her back into the kitchen, presumably to grab plates and silverware. Setting the food on the table, she turned back to the coffee table and grabbed her wine, frowning at how little was left already.

“Hey Link, mind if I get some more wine for dinner? I’m almost empty and food basically requires a drink.” She shook her wine glass to indicate just how little she had left, using her free hand to gesture to the bottle sitting in the kitchen.

“Sure, go ahead. Like I said, I’ll probably never drink it so you can have the whole bottle if you want. I’m not letting you drive home drunk, though,” he warned. Zelda blinked in surprise, normally she was the one stopping him from doing stupid and dangerous things. She grabbed the bottle and brought it to the table, holding off on refilling her glass while he continued. 

“If you need to, you can sleep on the couch tonight. I’d offer you my bed, but my room is…..uh….kinda a mess right now.” Zelda narrowed her eyes. Was Link  _ blushing _ ? She shrugged and dismissed it as a trick of the light, grabbing the bottle and pouring herself more wine, though slightly less than the first glass. Whatever, wouldn’t be the first time she’d slept on a couch after drinking too much. She’d have to let her roommate know she wouldn’t be home all night so she could lock the door, though. She decided to cross that bridge when she got to it. 

“Yeah, that’s fine. Now let’s eat, this smells wonderful!” In one swift motion, she pulled out her chair and sat down, waiting for Link to take the opposite seat before she dug in. Link, however, seemed to be taking his time, slowly walking between the table and the kitchen, grabbing some water for himself, and even triple-checking the stove was off. Him constantly turning back and forth allowed Zelda some time to silently watch and examine the boy she hadn’t seen in years. She remembered how the day before she’d thought there was something more feminine about Link, and she definitely got the feeling again but still couldn’t quite put her finger on it. His hair was a lot longer than she had ever seen it, almost halfway down his back, but that wasn’t it. If she didn’t know better, he held himself like he was trying to hide something on his front, slightly hunching his back and always having his arms in his front range of motion.  _ ‘Did he get even skinnier? He was already underweight in high school, I’m not sure I even want to know how little he weighs now,’ _ Zelda thought, noticing that Link’s waist was smaller than she remembered it being, even though she was just comparing it to the rest of his body since she had no concrete measurements to go off of. She let out a sigh of relief when he finally sat down and started serving himself.

“Sorry for taking so long, I knew a girl who almost set her apartment on fire by forgetting to turn off the oven or something, so now I’m always super careful,” Link explained, passing the rice balls to Zelda. “Anyway, dig in!”


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner was uneventful, somewhat meeting Linkle’s expectations. She and Zelda had talked about small things, like what classes they were taking, upcoming plans, and their jobs. As hungry as she was earlier, the familiar stress and anxiety of coming out to someone she’d known for a long time had totally destroyed it. Zelda was on her third rice ball while Linkle wasn’t even done with her first. Not only that, but Zelda was also on her third glass of wine, the bottle close to empty. Linkle didn’t remember Zelda having this much of an appetite when they were younger, but she also hadn’t remembered the other girl being gay, so evidently things could change. She pushed part of an apple around her plate with a fork, deep in thought about when and how to tell Zelda about her situation. It was a lot easier to think about this when she was staring straight down at her plate instead of up at Zelda. The other girl didn’t seem to like it, though.  
“Link, are you sure you’re OK? You’ve barely had anything to eat, and you were so hungry earlier,” Linkle looked up to see Zelda trying to reach across the table, a worried look on her face. Linkle just sighed and looked back down at her plate before setting her fork down to the side and taking a deep breath. This was the best chance she’d gotten and might ever get. Good to get it out of the way and be honest about herself instead of trying to hide it for however long and waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment.  
“Zelda, there’s….there’s something I need to tell you,” she started, doing her best to stop the shaking. “I’m- I’m not the Link you knew back in high school. I’ve changed a lot more than you think.” She heard Zelda stop moving and quickly glanced up to see the other girl mid-bite before returning her eyes back down to her plate. “The truth is, I’m trans. I’m a girl. My name is Linkle, and my pronouns are she/her.”  
There was a clatter of metal on ceramic as Zelda’s fork dropped to her plate. Next was the rustling of wood on carpet as she pushed her chair out from the table and stood up. Linkle didn’t need to look up to know what was coming next. There would be silence for a few seconds as Zelda walked through the living room, and a slam as she exited through the front door. She’d had it happen before. Even people she thought would be accepting hadn’t been cool with her being trans. It hurt every time. She hoped Zelda was different.  
Linkle finally opened her eyes when she felt arms encircle her waist. She looked down to find Zelda kneeling next to her chair, holding her head against Linkle’s side. She raised her head and Linkle could see she was moments away from crying, tears already filling her eyes. Linkle stood up and Zelda quickly followed suit, wrapping Linkle in a tight hug and resting her head against the trans girl’s shoulder.  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, Linkle barely able to hear her soft voice. “I’m so, so sorry you felt like you had to hide this from me. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and you always will be. Nothing will ever change my feelings for you. I love you, Linkle, and it’s so great to see how much happier you are now.” Now it was Linkle’s turn to cry. This felt like an amazing weight was lifted off her chest that she didn’t even know she was carrying. She wrapped her arms around Zelda, and the two of them just stood there, each in the other’s embrace, for several minutes before Zelda began to pull away. Linkle let her go and the two of them returned to their seats, both using their napkins to wipe away tears. Now that she had an appetite again, Linkle quickly finished the rice ball on her plate and grabbed a second one. While she ate, she was totally oblivious to whatever Zelda was doing, heavily focused on getting food in her stomach. After some time, Zelda broke the silence.  
“So, Linkle, forgive me if this question is too personal, but are you going to start hormones at any point? I mean, I’m not saying you need to or anything, you’re already a cute girl, but I’ve met some trans women who just decide not to, it’s totally your call, I’m not trying to push you any one way or another or something. Actually, you know what, just forget I said anything.” Zelda blushed furiously and buried her face in her hands, doing her best to hide from the embarrassment. Linkle laughed and waited to finish chewing before answering her question.  
“No, it’s fine. We used to know everything about each other when we were little, and I- I wouldn’t mind getting back to that. If- if you’re okay with that, that is!” Linkle blushed, trying her best not to be too forward. “To answer your question, though, I’m not gonna start hormones, because I’ve already been on them for almost a year now.” Zelda’s eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped, but Linkle continued on. “If I’m being totally honest, I wore this outfit today because it makes certain….things….way less obvious, and I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I wanted to be as similar to how you remembered me as I could.” She gestured to the green hoodie, the nondescript skinny jeans, and finally the plain grey sneakers. Zelda shook her head in disbelief.  
“Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me you intentionally changed as little of your outfit as possible from however many years ago? Now I feel cheated that I don’t get to see your current usual wardrobe!” Zelda exclaimed, taking a sip of her drink and crossing her arms. Linkle felt kinda bad about it, but she didn’t want to take any risks. As she finished her meal, Linkle leaned back in her chair and thought about it for a second. It didn’t take her long to come up with something, though.  
“I’ll tell you what. How about after I’m done cleaning up from dinner, I can go look through my closet and give you a little fashion show or something?” She hoped it sounded reasonable, and would give Zelda some extra time to sober up a little. There were a lot of dishes that needed to be cleaned up and put in the dishwasher, and it was already late enough as it was, she had work in the morning! Zelda didn’t seem to approve, though, as she shook her head and reached for more wine.  
“Nuh-uh, too little, too late. I’ll clean up, you go make yourself even prettier than you already are,” Zelda demanded, pushing Linkle in front of her towards the bedroom. Linkle was taller, and probably stronger, so she could have resisted if she wanted to, but the thing was, she didn’t really want to. No one had been this excited for her after she came out to them, Midna had been close, but that was different. Midna had been helping Linkle understand and accept herself, so she was more happy that Linkle had finally found something that felt right. Zelda’s excitement felt different, more...genuine somehow. Linkle didn’t realize she’d been pushed all the way into her room until the door slammed shut behind her and she heard Zelda’s muffled voice. “And don’t come out until you look like how you were going to look for our meeting if I already knew! Everything is dishwasher safe, right?”  
“Yeah” Linkle called back, glad she didn’t have any fancy dishes with special washing instructions. She turned to face the interior of her room and was suddenly faced with a difficult challenge: what would she have worn if Zelda already knew about her? She’d always liked dresses, and she had a great number of them. Skirt and top? Those were also nice, but all of her favorites were dirty and needed to be washed. There was always her backup of a tank top and jeans, but Zelda would probably think it was too masculine or not different enough, which she didn’t necessarily disagree with. No matter what she chose, she’d have to remove her current clothes, though. Following her almost-daily routine, she unzipped her favorite green hoodie and threw it on the bed, revealing her grey Pokémon t-shirt underneath. A few minutes later, she’d removed that and wriggled out of her jeans, sitting on the corner of her bed, staring at the wall of clothing in her closet. She took off her black sports bra and held it in her hands. How many times had she used it to cover changes she didn’t want people to notice? She’d lost count a while ago, somewhere around 23. Now she had to figure out something to replace it that did the exact opposite function.  
She was pretty sure she had a push-up bra somewhere that Midna had given her a year after she’d come out, but she wasn’t sure it would still fit. That was months ago, and she knew for a fact there’d been a lot of growth in that area. She stood up and walked to her drawers, closing the shades of her window as she passed, now that she was mostly naked. She opened her bra drawer and began ruffling through the back. It wasn’t long until her fingertips hit padding and she began digging in earnest, grabbing a black strap and pulling. She held the garment aloft, twisting and turning until it was in the proper shape. Once she finally got it, she wrapped it around her midriff, connected the two ends, and spun it around so that she could wear it properly. With her underwear on, she turned to face the full-length mirror hanging next to her closet.  
She’d done this everyday for the past year, looking over her body to spot any new changes that might’ve happened overnight. Somewhere around 4 months was when she’d first noticed things happening, and now almost 8 months later, looking in the mirror was starting to feel right. If she just quickly glanced at it, there was no question she was a girl, but the longer and more detailed looks always showed more ‘errors’ than she was happy with, too many hints of masculinity. Her previously-unworn bra definitely helped her image, she blushed as she examined her body this time. She didn’t just look like a girl, she looked like a cute girl! Maybe things were going to turn out fine after all.   
A knock on the door brought her out of her ruminations as Zelda called from the other side, “Hey! Don’t forget hair and makeup if you do that stuff! I wanna see you how you see yourself!” Linkle struggled to think of a response, only to come up with nothing Zelda would approve of, only self-deprecating jokes or comments about how she was attracted to her mirror image, like a modern day Narcissus. Deciding it was probably best not to respond, she went ahead and tried to pick something out from her closet. Once she’d selected something, she threw on the rest of the outfit and stepped into the en-suite bathroom to apply her makeup and touch up her hair. She wasn’t trying to seduce Zelda, per se, just...present the most attractive version of herself. Yeah, that was it. She wasn’t trying to convince Zelda to choose her or something, just suggesting that she was an option. Even though she very much wanted Zelda to pick her.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a considerable amount of time since she’d mentioned hair and makeup to Linkle, and she was starting to get worried that the other girl hadn’t emerged yet.  _ ‘Oh goddesses, what if she wasn’t going to do makeup but then I pressured her and she stabbed herself with a mascara wand. Oh no it’s all my fault now she’s gonna hate me shitshitshit’ _ she thought to herself, reaching for her wineglass to help keep some of the edge off. She’d made it clear Linkle should only do what she wants to, right? Zelda wasn’t pressuring the other girl into anything. She turned the thought over in her head and reflected on it. It felt a little weird talking about the person she’d grown up with as a girl, but it also made quite a lot of sense when she thought about specific events. Freshman year of college, back when they still communicated regularly, Linkle had gone as a princess for Halloween, and the pictures of her from that night were some of the happiest Zelda had ever seen her. During their sophomore prom, she hadn’t been that thrilled about wearing a suit, but had spent literal hours fawning over Zelda’s dress. As she looked around the room, she spied a picture of Linkle and a girl she didn’t recognize on the bookcase. As she got closer, she could make out more details, such as the grey knee-length dress Linkle was wearing, and the other girl, who had fiery red-orange hair with teal highlights, was looking sharp in a tux and matte black lipstick. Linkle looked absolutely overjoyed in the picture, practically radiating happiness that Zelda could feel even now, however much later it was. She set it down and returned to the couch, phone in one hand, wine in the other, and just scrolled through various posts. She locked her phone and set down the glass when she heard a door open. Standing up and turning to face the source of the noise, she swore the neighbors could hear her jaw hit the floor.

Standing outside her bedroom door, Linkle was one of the most beautiful women Zelda had ever seen. The way her dirty-blonde hair cascaded down her head and disappeared behind her shoulders in golden waves was enough to get Zelda’s heart racing, but it was only the tip of the iceberg. Small triangles hung from Linkle’s ears, three yellow ones surrounding an inverted black, and Zelda’s mind flashed back to grade school. They were supposed to be researching their family histories, and Linkle had come across that symbol as one of her ancestor’s family crests or something of the sort. She’d adored it and never forgotten, writing it on all her tests even up to high school, doodling it in the margins of notebooks, even her old bedroom in her parents’ house had it painted on the door. Zelda’s eyes moved inward from the other girl’s ears to her eyes and her breath was taken away. Linkle’s eyes were lightly lined, not enough to be obtrusive but enough to make an onlooker notice their beauty, surrounded by a dusty grey eyeshadow, and topped with long, full eyelashes that looked like they extended two full inches from her lids.

As her eyes moved downward, Zelda was overcome with emotions. She used to think she was bi because she liked girls, but she’d also had a crush on Link for as long as she could remember, even surprising herself by kissing him the last time they were together, but now everything seemed to fit together perfectly. The lips she’d impulsively kissed not once but twice despite her better judgement were turned up in a slight smile, coated in a pale pink gloss that made Zelda think only of how badly she wanted to find out if it tasted like strawberries. Hanging from Linkle’s neck was a metal chain connected to a small silver sword that threatened to disappear beneath the neckline of her dress, right into the cleavage that had suddenly manifested in the past half hour and kept threatening to steal her attention. Covering her torso and most of her thighs was a light-blue, short-sleeved dress that perfectly matched her eyes, with white lines around the hem and collar, loosely cinched against Linkle’s waist with a wide brown belt. Zelda thought she could see a bra strap peeking out from the side of the neckline, but the lighting made it hard to determine if there was actually anything there, but one thing she was sure of, was that the way the belt was positioned made it clear Linkle had at least some hips, and that her waist was indeed as skinny as Zelda had thought. She was also 75% sure she had a very similar top back in her closet, but decided not to say anything.

Beneath the dress was a pair of white leggings, and topping the outfit off was a pair of brown leather gladiator sandals, showing off Linkle’s glittery green toenails, and a tan purse hanging from her left shoulder. She walked out into the living room and twirled around a couple times, giving Zelda a look from all sides. She looked expectantly towards Zelda as if asking for a review, and snickering when she saw Zelda’s stupefied face.

“Zelda? You ok? I know this is probably a bit of a shock, but I don’t look that bad, do I?” Linkle asked, the girl suddenly bashful and fiddling with the hem of her dress. Zelda couldn’t believe her ears.  _ ‘That bad??? Is the mirror in that bathroom broken or something??? Can she not see how beautiful she is!? Who hurt this girl, and how do I make her feel absolutely amazing?’ _ She realized she may have had too much to drink when a familiar urge appeared in her, but fortunately not strong enough for her to act on it. She could take baby steps towards it, though. She snapped out of her reverie and watched as Linkle sat down on the couch and reached for her wine, as if to sample a bit for herself.

“Hey, Linkle?” asked Zelda, bracing herself for the possible answers to the question she was about to ask. “Are you straight?” Linkle almost choked on the tiny bit of wine in her mouth, obviously surprised by the question. She looked up at Zelda with a quizzical look on her face.

“What do you mean? Like have I ever committed a crime, or what’s my sexuality?” Zelda cursed inwardly at the question.  _ ‘Your sexuality, you dumbass! Why the fuck would I be asking if you’ve ever done anything illegal!? I fucking know that the answer to that question is yes! Just think about it! I’m a girl, who likes girls, asking you, who is  _ also  _ a girl, if you fucking like girls!’ _ Huffing, she returned to her spot on the couch, acutely aware of the fact that Linkle had chosen the center seat, so there was very little space between them.

“No, I’m not asking if you’ve committed a crime, remember when we downloaded all those songs off the internet in high school?” Zelda chided Linkle, who mumbled “Oh yeah, that’s illegal, isn’t it” while Zelda continued on. “I’m asking you who you’re interested in. Girls, boys? Both, neither? I’m just asking because like, some people define their sexuality in relation to their gender, you know? Like I say I’m gay because I’m a girl and I like girls, but like, Revali is straight because he’s a boy and he likes girls. And then Urbosa’s bi because she’s attracted to everyone, but defining her sexuality by her gender doesn’t work. Really, I guess what I’m trying to ask is are you or are you not attracted to girls and/or women?” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The booze was giving her the courage to do this, but it definitely wasn’t making her plan easier to actually go through with. Oh well, Linkle would probably understand, she was smart like that. 

“Wait, Urbosa’s bi? Huh, never knew, but I guess it makes sense. And to answer your question, I don’t really know how to define my sexuality. Like I know I like girls, but when it comes to guys, I’m attracted to like a few that I’ve met, but it’s like a different kind of attraction, you feel?” Zelda nodded and refilled her glass, for the final time as she held the bottle upside down and no more came out. She frowned and set the bottle back on the table. She took a large swig from her glass, knowing she’d need all the liquid courage she could get for what she was about to do.

“Hey, Linkle, this outfit looks really good on you, but I wanna see more. You  _ did _ say you’d give me a fashion show earlier, and as much as I love seeing you in it, one dress does not make a show. What do you say, can you go change? Pretty please, just for me??” Zelda asked, batting her eyelashes and putting on her best puppy-dog eyes. Linkle just rolled her eyes and stood up, making sure her dress didn’t ride up too much. As she trudged off to her bedroom, Zelda was struck by a bolt of brilliance, making her jump up from the couch and rush to grab Linkle’s arm. 

“Wait! Before you go, can I get a picture with you? I want to remember the night I got to really get to know you,” Zelda cringed at how sappy she sounded, but it was true. This was the best night she’d ever had with her best friend ever and she didn’t want to forget a single second. Linkle nodded, and together, the two of them made their way to the bathroom. Zelda opened her phone and swiped to the camera, making sure her hair looked good enough in the mirror. She brought her phone up to capture the mirror, using her left arm to wrap around Linkle’s waist and pull her close. Linkle brought her right hand up to make a peace sign just to the side of her face, her left hand placed over Zelda’s on her own waist, as if to emphasize the curvature of her waist and hips. They both smiled, and Zelda held down the shutter button to take multiple pictures. She would rather die than forget how she felt at that moment. She messaged all of the pictures to Linkle, taking the opportunity to change the contact’s name, then stumbled her way back to the couch. Might as well make herself comfortable, she definitely shouldn’t be driving, so it was probably going to be her bed for the night…  _ ‘Unless she wants to drive me home and spend the night at  _ my _ place’ _ she thought to herself, smiling mischievously at the idea. Realizing just how bad of a plan that was, she grabbed her phone and decided to stalk Linkle’s social media for hints she may have missed. That was a much better use of her time, right?


	9. Chapter 9

Linkle sat on the edge of her bed and fell backwards, appreciating the _THWUMP_ as her back hit her mattress. The situation was so far from what she had planned for this evening, she could barely believe what was happening anymore. Zelda was drunk, that was for sure. The girl had downed almost a whole bottle of wine by herself, and would likely finish it by the time Linkle left her room again, and no matter how hard the girl may have partied off in Castle Town, she was still skinny as a twig and lacked the height to match, so her tolerance couldn’t be _that_ high. The next thing she couldn’t believe was how eager and accepting Zelda was. When she’d talked about Sheik, she hadn’t seemed this excited, but maybe those two weren’t as close as she and Linkle were. Finally, she was having trouble believing how Zelda had acted when she was taking pictures. She hadn’t been a part of many ‘girls in bathroom’ selfies due to her avoidance of public restrooms and tendency towards privacy, but she was fairly certain the arm around another girl’s waist wasn’t that common, especially not with the pressure Zelda had used. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she got up and started stripping again. What was she going to wear now? It was almost bedtime, so maybe she could afford to dig a skirt and/or blouse from the laundry if she wasn’t going to wear it for that long. Best to check her closet for clean ones though.

She thumbed through the hangers in her closet when she saw pieces of an outfit she knew Zelda would love. A ruffled pastel pink tank top, paired with a high waisted white jean skirt. Her black bra might show through the top, but who cared. Zelda was being daring, why couldn’t she? Halfway through getting dressed, she heard her phone buzz from her purse, where she had left it. Glancing at it, she saw the pictures Zelda had sent with her, along with a text from Sidon, apologizing for almost outing her earlier. He really was the sweetest guy she had ever met.

> _L: “dw dude, its fine, you couldn’t have known. im just glad you got my hints to stop lmao”_
> 
> _s: “haha yeah, better late than never, right? anyway, that girl u were with today was kinda cute. u get her number? 👀”_
> 
> _L: “LMAO yeah, it’s zelda, my best friend from when we were little! i’ve had her number for years, but not like that lol"_

Throwing her phone back on the bed, she finished getting ready to go show her new outfit to Zelda, and took a deep breath. Why did this one feel more scary to wear? Was it the fact that her shoulders and most of her legs were now bare when they weren’t before? Pushing the doubts out of her mind, Linkle opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. She couldn’t see Zelda where she had been previously standing in the living room and began to worry. _‘What if she passed out? Ugh, I knew I should’ve stopped her a couple drinks ago. Oh fuck, what if she hit her head on the way down and bled out on my carpet? Fuckfuckfuckfuck FUCK’_ Linkle stepped further into the room, and just as her vision cleared the couch, she felt something grab her right hand and pull. Turning that direction, the next thing she felt was a pair of soft lips on her own, and a force pushing her back, toward the wall. Her back hit the wall, and she let out a soft gasp, giving Zelda the opportunity to get her tongue into Linkle’s mouth, the strawberry of her lip gloss mixing with the wine heavy on Zelda’s breath. Much too soon, Zelda pulled away, Linkle’s mouth following to keep in contact as long as she could. She opened her eyes to find Zelda using one hand placed on Linkle’s chest to keep them separate, the other still holding tightly onto Linkle’s wrist. 

“Linkle, um, I’ve- I’ve also got something to tell you…” Zelda stammered, her wide green eyes staring down at Linkle. Apparently she must have slouched while she was pinned against the wall. Ignoring Linkle’s confusion, Zelda started up again, her cheeks almost as red as her lips. “So...listen. I....like you. Like, _like_ like you. I have for a- for a while now. Not gonna lie, it caused me a lot of internal strife when I was discovering my own sexuality, thought I couldn’t be gay because I had a crush on a boy, and I had had one since I’d learned what crushes _were_ . Eventually I was just like ‘Fuck it, it’s _one_ crush on a boy ever, against I don’t even know how many crushes on various girls over a lot of time, so statistically speaking I must be gay’ and decided that was that. Then I came back here and I saw you the other day, and like I said I’d always had a crush on you, but yesterday I could tell there was something different about you, something that appealed to me even more, and I just- I just couldn’t resist it, I had to kiss you. And I’m sorry for all the probing questions today, I just wanted to find out if you liked me too. I’m still not even sure about that, this is just drunk me taking a huge risk that I am almost definitely going to regret in the morning. I’m sorry for jumping you and just letting this all out, but I saw how good you looked and how happy you were in that dress and my drunk ass couldn’t take it anymore, I had to let it all out. I’m sorry about this, but now you know, and even if you don’t feel the same way, could we still be friends?”

The other girl blinked, struggling to take in what was happening. _‘Did...did she just say what I think she said? Does she have a crush on me? Oh goddesses this is actually happening oh fuck what do I do?!’_ Never much one for words, Linkle did the only thing she could think of, and used her free hand to cup Zelda’s neck and bring her back in for another kiss. The two of them stayed like that for a little while, until once again Zelda pulled away.

“So I’m gonna take that as a yes?” she grinned, brushing hair out of her face. Linkle nodded, and the two of them separated to get up and return to the couch. Zelda sat down at one end first, and Linkle curled up next to her. She still couldn’t believe what was happening. She’d dreamed of a night like this for the longest time, but doubted it would ever happen. She was content to just sit here in silence for eternity, but it seemed her companion (girlfriend??) wanted more, as Zelda kept poking Linkle’s shoulder until they made eye contact.

“Alright, I know I’m actually *hic* quite drunk, and you don’t like to talk, but I just told you I’ve had a crush on you for so fucking long, and all you do in response is try to kiss me some more. I wanna know the tea, so *hic* spill it!” Zelda commanded, her emerald eyes steely with authority. As much as she liked Zelda, the drunken, rude impatience was a bit of a detractor. She sat up and stared at Zelda, she wanted to see the girl’s reaction.

“You wanna know how I’ve felt about you? Remember in high school, I turned down every girl who asked me out, even Urbosa, who now that I think about it was actually really hot? If you had asked me even once, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. Sophomore prom was brutal for me, not because we weren’t there together, but we were together _as friends_ . I was certain you didn’t like me then, and then like a year later I hauled ass to get to the airport after work that day, and you kissed me, only to disappear before I could say anything. I was so scared that was just like a one-time thing or something I _never_ brought it up when I texted you. And that was all back then, not counting the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on since you texted me like a week ago. It’s been ‘She loves me, she loves me not’ with the added Hebran Roulette of ‘She respects me as trans, she respects me not’. I had no idea what you could’ve sent me, and then you actually showed up and I just...oof. I barely slept last night because I was so anxious about just getting coffee with you. I even tried to get there 15 minutes early to make sure Sidon or Riju or whoever was going to be on the register didn’t accidentally out me, but you were already there! I thought accepting and living as myself was the happiest I could ever be, but hearing your rambling just now has told me that’s not true. Because being right here, with you, right now, is like a million times happier than I was just 10 days ago. Now, I love you, but it’s getting very late, I didn’t sleep a lot last night, and I have work in the morning, so do you mind if we move this conversation into the bedroom?” 

She jerked her thumb in the direction of the bedroom, hoping that in her drunken state, Zelda wouldn’t take it as an invitation for sex. She thought that if they were actually going to be a couple, it would be best to have that talk when everyone involved was sober, and/or not coming down off the biggest adrenaline high of her life. Thankfully, Zelda nodded and stuck out her hand, wordlessly asking for Linkle’s assistance in lifting herself off the couch.

When she had hoisted the drunk girl to her feet, Linkle led her by one hand toward the bedroom, pausing momentarily while Zelda grabbed her phone from her purse. When they arrived in Linkle’s room, Zelda spent barely any time looking around before face-planting on the bed, a sigh muffled by the comforter. Linkle did her best to tidy up as quickly as she could, or at least get the various clothes off her bed and onto the floor of her closet. Zelda herself was partially laying atop the blue dress Linkle was wearing earlier, and refused all of the requests to move off of it. After some struggling, she managed to yank it out from under the other girl and threw it in her hamper. When she was satisfied with the state of her room, she grabbed her pajamas and walked to the bathroom to change, still insecure about Zelda seeing her naked. Just as she was pulling on her shorts, there was a soft knock at the door into the bedroom.

“Hey, Linklllleee? I didn’t bring any pajamas because I didn’t think I’d be sleeping somewhere else, do you mind if I sleep in just my panties? I mean, if you’re uncomfortable with it and have something I can wear to bed, I’d gladly do that, but I’m not sure how much of your stuff would fit me…” All the color drained from Linkle’s face as she realized what exactly that would entail.

“You’re, uh, you’re certainly welcome to look? Bottom left dresser drawer,” she replied, holding her breath as she heard quiet footsteps walk away. She pulled her top over her head and turned to walk out the door, “dirty” clothes in hand. _‘Are they really dirty if I only wore them for a couple hours? I mean, I didn’t really do anything exhaustive or physical, just...made out with Zelda. That’s all, nothing big. Speaking of her, is that her blue bra on..my...bed? Oh goddesses, oh no.’_ Too late, Linkle realized what that meant. As she crossed the threshold, she instantly noticed Zelda standing by the dresser, including her lack of most of her clothes. Scattered at her feet were all of the shirts and shorts Linkle kept to sleep in, mildly sorted in some order that probably made sense to her and her alone. Linkle turned around before she saw too much, throwing a hand in front of her eyes for good measure. 

“So nothing fit?” Linkle asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

“Nothing that I liked the feel of. You can turn around, I’m still *hic* wearing my panties so it’s literally nothing you haven’t seen before,” Zelda teased, a smile evident in her tone. “Although if it makes you so uncomfortable, I can get under the covers so you don’t see anything?”

“That- that might be the better plan, yeah” Linkle waited until she heard the sound of covers rustling before lowering her hand and turning around. She looked just in time to see her sheets drape across Zelda’s body. Zelda herself, meanwhile, was reaching to grab her phone from the nightstand. As Linkle walked around the bed to dispose of her clothes, she shot Zelda a confused look.

“Setting alarms? You don’t need to do that, I’ve got mine already set.” She offered, but the other girl just shook her head.

“No, I’m *hic* texting Malon that I’m not *hic* gonna be home tonight so she can put the chain lock on the door.” Linkle stopped and blinked in surprise at the mention of her horse-loving friend before going about her routine. 

“Y- you know Malon?” Linkle asked, sliding under the sheet on her bed.

“Yeah, she’s my roommate! Are you telling me you *hic* know her too?” Zelda rolled over and spent some time studying Linkle’s face.

“I met her a couple years ago at a club fair, she convinced me to try out the horse-riding club. It was fun, but _*YAWN*_ too much of a time sink for me to commit to.” Linkle explained, faintly aware of how pretentious it made her sound. “Alright, now I’m definitely going to bed. Night, Zelda.” She turned and pulled the chain on her bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. There was a soft _thunk_ as Zelda dropped her phone on the other bedside table, and Linkle could suddenly feel warmth all over as Zelda pressed against her back, one arm sliding under Linkle’s pillow and the other draping over her waist. Linkle smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into Zelda’s embrace. Everything really had turned out better than she would have ever expected.


	10. Chapter 10

Zelda had no idea what time it was when she first woke up, if she could call it waking up. She was only dimly aware of the happenings around her, and had gone almost right back to sleep. There had been a triumphant sound, like someone getting an item in a video game, and suddenly there was empty space beside her where once had been another person. A few seconds later (or maybe a few minutes? She couldn’t tell) she felt someone kiss her forehead and she smiled. It had been a while since she’d been this cozy. 

The second time she woke up was far less pleasant. The sun was already high in the sky, and rays of sunlight were streaming through the windows, even with the shades half-pulled as they were. She still didn’t know what time it was, or where she was, but she did know one thing: her head hurt. Wait, this wasn’t her place with Malon. This room was too big, and the layout was all wrong. Not to mention she recognized exactly none of the decorations. It was undoubtedly a girl’s room, based on the bra sticking out of a drawer, and the collection of different makeups and nail polishes cluttering the nearby vanity, but that just raised more questions. Had she blacked out, met someone somewhere, and then spent the night at a stranger’s place? That didn’t sound right. Maybe it would help if she got up and looked around? Throwing the blankets off, she wasn’t terribly surprised to see she was only wearing her underwear, that was probably why she was so cold. She spotted the clothes she’d worn yesterday in a pile next to a dresser and quickly got dressed. Grabbing her phone from the nightstand to check the time, she barely registered that it was almost noon before seeing the unanswered texts Malon had sent her last night and this morning.

> _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11:24 pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_
> 
> _M: “Wow, that guy you said you were meeting today must have been really something if you went back to his place for dinner and are gonna spend the night 😏😉"_
> 
> _M: “Especially since I thought you were gay 😂😂😂🏳🌈”_
> 
> _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9:32 am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_
> 
> _M: “Just dropped Ilia off at the train station, it’s safe to come back now, if you still want to”_

The implications of the first two texts made Zelda recoil. She hadn’t slept with a guy, had she? No, she’d just gotten coffee with Link, and then to pay her back for the drinks, he’d made her dinner. _‘Wait, did I fuck Link? Oh goddesses, please tell me I didn’t fuck Link’_ her mind began racing as she thought back to last night. She hadn’t had _that_ much to drink, but things just weren’t adding up. It wasn’t until she caught motion in the corner of her eye that she noticed the sticky notes on the inside of the door to the bedroom as one fluttered to the ground. She grabbed the other one off the door and began to read.

> “ _Zelda-_
> 
> _Sorry to just leave you in bed, but I need to be in the lab by 8, and then I’ve got class until 3, so I won’t be back until like 3:30. There’s bread in the cupboard above the toaster and butter in the fridge if you want some for breakfast. Help yourself to any of the leftovers in the fridge if you get hungrier later in the day, too. If you don’t have anything to entertain yourself, you’re free to play around on my Sheikah Slate if you want :)_
> 
> _-L”_

She read the note again and again, trying to figure out who it was from. The signature of "L" would suggest Link, but this definitely didn’t feel like Link’s room. She brushed a lock of hair out of her face and bent down to pick up the other note, turning it over to read the writing. It wasn’t a lot, just a “ _P.S. I love you_ ” with a large drawing of a heart occupying the empty space. Reading the writing aloud brought memories of last night flooding back to her and she spun around, her back against the door, pieces of a puzzle suddenly fitting together, their seams disappearing.

“It’s not _Link_ ’s room, it’s _Linkle_ ’s,” she breathed, everything in the room now bathed in a different light. Painted on the wall above the bed were the three familiar triangles, only this time instead of the yellow and gold Zelda had usually seen them in, they were painted pink, white, and blue, a color scheme she recognized as the colors of the trans pride flag. Of the nail polishes she’d seen earlier, the majority of them were various shades of green, and they were all much less full than the other colors. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, sitting with her legs splayed out in front of her and did her best to make sense of everything she remembered happening.

She and Linkle had had dinner together, in which the other girl had come out to her and revealed she’d been on hormones for like a year now, which meant she’d figured this out about herself _over_ a year ago, possibly when she and Zelda were still in contact? Zelda’s headache got worse trying to figure out potential timelines so she elected to move onto more definite thoughts. She’d been the one to clean up dinner, because Linkle had gone off to change clothes? No, because she’d _made_ Linkle go off to change. Zelda cringed as she thought about how pushy she’d sounded. _‘Goddesses, I hope Linkle was okay with that_ ,” she thought briefly before moving on. Around here was where the memories started getting really fuzzy, but she remembered big and important events, so she hadn’t totally blacked out. Linkle had come out of her room and Zelda didn’t remember what she was wearing, just that she was the most gorgeous woman she’d ever seen. She’d told Linkle to go change again, but never saw the new outfit, because she’d jumped her as soon as she set foot in the living room. 

Then came the emotional parts. Zelda didn’t know exactly what she’d told Linkle, but given the rest of the night’s events and how much she had had to drink, it was probably long and rambling and repetitive. She let out a sharp laugh, realizing how much she usually babbled when she was under the influence, and considered it a blessing that Linkle was the only one there that night, and she was the subject of most of the speech. Then they were sitting on the couch and Linkle was telling her about _her_ feelings for Zelda through the years, and in the present Zelda did her best not to think about what could’ve happened if they’d been honest with each other so much longer ago. The last thing she remembered from the previous night was being dragged by one hand to the bedroom, but she’d still been wearing her underwear when she woke up, so it seemed unlikely they’d actually had sex. She groaned as she got up, the sun coming through the blinds not doing her headache any favors. She trudged out into the hallway towards the living room, desperate to get her pain meds from her purse. Popping a couple into her mouth, she shuffled towards the kitchen to make herself from breakfast. While she was waiting for her bread to toast, she pulled out her phone to reply to Malon.

> _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~12:13 pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_
> 
> _Z: “It’s......complicated, to say the least. We didn’t have any sex of any kind last night, though, so you can get your dirty little mind out of the gutter.”_
> 
> _Z: “I don’t know when I’ll be home today, it won’t be until like 4 at the earliest. I’ll definitely be home at some point today, though!”_
> 
> _M: “Ooh, spending more time with Mister Mystery Man? I don’t have class today so I’ll be here all day, just drop by whenever. Have fun!😘😘😘”_

Zelda rolled her eyes. She would’ve mentioned that the guy she went to see yesterday was actually a girl and was also potentially now Zelda’s girlfriend, but she had a faint memory of Linkle talking about Malon, so the two of them knew each other, and she might give Zelda shit for not knowing. _‘Wait, are Linkle and I dating now? We never actually talked about it last night, did we. Just confessed our feelings and made out. Maybe I’ll ask her about it when she gets home today. Yep, sounds like a traditional lesbian romance, clueless about the other for years, and then go fast,”_ She turned and noticed her toast sticking out of the toaster, wondering how long it’d been done for. She opened the fridge and grabbed the tub of butter, wondering how she was going to occupy herself for the rest of the day. 

Fortunately, Zelda still had her laptop from working at the coffee shop earlier, and she could get some work done. Unfortunately, she was too distracted by the fact that she was stuck in the home of her long-time best friend and current maybe-girlfriend to actually be productive. She didn’t actively snoop or anything, but everytime she looked up from her computer, there was always something there to remind her who lived there, and every time she was reminded she had to take some time and just let the fact that Linkle was who she was and also liked her back sink in. As such, she spent more time scrolling through different social media and thinking about Linkle than actually working, and it wasn’t long before she dropped the pretense of getting anything done altogether and lost herself scrolling through different sites. 

It wasn’t until she heard the front door open that she realized how much time had passed, and she quickly closed her laptop. Turning to the door, her vision was suddenly filled with green fabric as she felt a bundle of something land on her face, its momentum causing her head to fall back to the couch cushion. She let out a yelp as she landed, almost falling to the floor, but managed to stop herself before she began sliding. She uncovered her face to see a sheepish Linkle standing in the doorway, backpack in one hand, the other outstretched like it had just been used to throw something. She blushed and set down her backpack before striding over to the seated girl and slowly taking the hoodie.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there, and throwing my jacket on the couch is kinda a habit for me,” she apologized, her cheeks a rosy red. “Honestly, I kinda forgot you were here, so I’m almost as surprised you are.” Zelda giggled, resisting the temptation to lean up and kiss the other girl. She couldn’t wait to spend more time with Linkle, be it as a friend or something more. ‘Hopefully _as something more’_ her mind suggested, and Zelda could feel herself blush. _‘Speaking of…’_

“Linkle, we should talk. A- about us, I mean,” she began, her voice quieter than she wanted it to be. Linkle cocked her head to the side before climbing over the back of the sofa and taking a seat next to Zelda. There was a worried look in her eyes, and Zelda immediately knew exactly what she was thinking. 

“No, I’m not breaking up with you,” she said, laughing as Linkle breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t even really do that because I don’t know what we are. I don’t have the _best_ memory of last night, but I’m like 95% sure we never actually talked about if we’re a couple or what. Is that correct?” Linkle nodded, taking the opportunity to supply her own information.

“Yeah, we didn’t talk about that stuff, I thought a serious conversation like that would be better suited for a) when you were sober, because you definitely weren’t last night, and b) when I wasn’t coming down off of probably the biggest adrenaline high of my life.” She did have a point, Zelda mused.

“So maybe we should talk about that now?” she asked, a hint of trepidation creeping into her voice. 

“I don’t see why not, it’s as good a time as any,” Linkle shrugged, taking away some of Zelda’s nerves. She brought her knees up under her chin and wrapped her arms around them and took a deep breath, ready to accept any answers to the questions she was about to ask.

“Ok, first things first: do you wanna go out to dinner with me tonight on a date?”

“Yes.” Linkle’s response was almost immediate, which was a good sign.

“Do you want the two of us to be girlfriend and girlfriend?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” _‘Alright, two down, one to go’_

“Wanna go make out until dinner, and by dinner I mean we don’t leave this building and order a pizza so we can spend more time making out while it’s being delivered?”

“Now that plan doesn’t sound half bad...” Zelda bit her lip, sensing a ‘but’ coming. “I’m in.” Linkle finished, the words barely out of her mouth before Zelda launched herself toward the other end of the couch, pulling her girlfriend into a deep kiss.


End file.
